COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) – A Columbus company is testing a fingerprint sensor for guns that will only allow the owner to determine who has access to the firearm.

News Leader 9’s Annie Hubbell explains how it works and why law enforcement officials believe it will positively impact crime statistics.

Ben Stahl is a Columbus resident and gun owner. Over the last month he and other local firearm owners have tested new technology, a retrofit kit with a fingerprint-activated sensor onto an AR-15 Bushmaster rifle.

“An owner having the opportunity to determine who they want with the finger print authorization adds that layer of security,” Stahl said.

The fingerprint technology allows you and only others you want programmed to fire the gun. The kit was developed by Safe Gun Technology, a Columbus-based firm.

SGT was awarded a $100,000 grant from the Smart Tech Challenges Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing firearm safety.

“What is great about our solution is that it is a retrofit kit so the owner can say ok, is our gun model available and they can go and purchase it and then have a gunsmith go install it and have that piece of mind, that added layer of security,” Tom Lynch said, CEO of Safe gun Technology.

By placing your finger on the sensor you are locked in and the safety is turned off.

Muscogee County Marshal Greg Countryman has watched this project grow and says this device will revolutionize the way law enforcement does business.

“This will be an aid for law enforcement to do a better job going after gangs. Once we can reduce the guns elsewhere, we won’t have the same problem,” Countryman says.

He continued, “It is all about peace of mind. I want to know nobody else can get them. Whether it is my kids, an intruder, I don’t want my gun to be taken away from me and used against me or my family.”

The kit is set to be made available by the end of 2015 and will cost you less than $350.

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